1 Daniela Pescador Professor Mizell ENG 1302 February 4, 2020 The Freedom to Be To what extent are humans responsible for what they have become? Have individuals been the authors of their destinies or have they been influenced by the laws and standards of society? Since the very first moment an individual opened their eyes, society had already forever shaped them. We were all born into a society where much of what we know has been laid out for us since our births. This idea of becoming who society expects us to be has led me to question how free the will of an individual is in our society. Apart from our religions, cultures, government, and laws, how free are we to be? There are various points to consider, and after evaluating a multitude of them, I believe the free will an individual has in our society is close to non-existent. An individual’s free will is more of a fantasy that we have been fed all our lives. We are constantly being told that we have the utmost power to control our destiny. Although humans are certainly the authors of their destinies, it is hard to apprehend why it feels as if we have been made convicts of our society. Through laws, corrupt governments, and immoral leaders, we have been tamed and restricted to only being who society wants us to be. Laws have been shaping our lives long before the presence of Christ. The Code of Lipit-Ishtar, one of several 2 extents Sumerian law codes, is the oldest of law codes to exist. The law codes defined what people could and couldn’t do much of what the laws of today do. Our lives are orchestrated by these very laws that follow us until death. But why do we humans feel the need to follow them? Is it because we fear the repercussions they come with or because we like to follow them? Does following them make us feel better as human beings? This is a dilemma Socrates experienced in Plato’s Crito. Socrates, who was under arrest, was being persuaded by his friend, Crito, to escape the prison and live a life of exile. Socrates knew he was innocent of the crime he was being sentenced to, yet he couldn’t dare escape and break the law. Knowing he was innocent, why would Socrates allow the government to execute him? Why couldn’t he accept Crito’s offer and continue to live his life? It was hard for Socrates to break the law because of how he was brought up. He was brought up believing his life should abide by the laws of Athens. The laws made it impossible for Socrates to see that his imprisonment was wrong. Socrates was imprisoned for “’ impiety’ and ‘corrupting the young’” (University of Cambridge) with ideas that opposed those of Athens. When looking at Socrates' situation in Crito, it is easy to apply it to today’s society. Humans are scared to break these laws even if they know they are wrong and immoral. We are raised to believe that following these laws is a must and that they must not be challenged. Yes, laws were implemented to organize society and punish those who have done wrong, but where do they cross the line? When laws begin to take away the freedom of an individual’s will, that is when laws become cruel. Regardless of this view, unjust laws, like the ones that allowed Socrates to be executed, are still intact today and domineering the way we guide ourselves through life. Corrupt governments and immoral leaders dominate our world today. We see governments that deprive their people of basic human rights where they justify their actions by 3 using laws that have been written by themselves. Through these corrupt governments, barbaric leaders have had the chance to grow. These leaders abuse heavily of their power and they thrive off their people, regardless of their well-being. For example, North Korea, a dictatorruled nation, is one of the most depriving of nations in this world. Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader, is barbaric, to say the least. Kim Jong-Un comes from a long family line that has ruled North Korea for more than 70 years. Before being the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea used to be unified with South Korea and the people of North Korea had more freedom to be than they do know. Although no one specifically knows what goes on in North Korea, thanks to undercover journalists and documentaries, the injustices happening in North Korea have been uncovered. According to a report published by the United Nations in 2017, it was discovered that more than 18 million people in North Korea were experiencing severe hunger. Among hunger, the citizens are deprived of political freedom, individual freedom, freedom of religion. Citizens do not dare to break the rules set by the restrictive government of the DPRK as it may bring them deadly consequences. Citizens who speak out or disrespect the country or the leader in any way, are punished brutally, sent to labor camps, or are killed along with their families. Those who try to escape these injustices are sometimes successful while some are not as successful. How inhumane is the behavior the people of North Korea experience? How wrong is it that they are forced to worship and respect a leader who could care less about them? What good person would strip away the power and rights of their people just to feel big and powerful? Corrupt governments like the one of North Korea and cruel leaders such as Kim Jong-Un are some of the reasons why some individuals don’t have the freedom to be who they want. They are drowning in unjust laws and standards who make it impossible for them to be individuals with free minds. 4 With the argument of how free the will of an individual in society is, there comes the idea that individuals do not have the utmost freedom to be who they want to be. Yes, we do live in a relatively fair world that allows people to be and think the way they want to. Although this statement is true under certain circumstances, it doesn’t apply to everyone. For instance, America is more open to different ideas of people and it allows people to be how they wish to be. When looking at other countries such as North Korea, China, and Russia, the same can’t be said about those countries. In North Korea and Russia, same-sex marriages are frowned upon and highly illegal. Laws have been into place in these countries that suppress homosexuals from expressing who they are and marrying who they wish. Also, with the argument of how free the will of an individual in society is, comes the idea that individuals are the only ones able to dictate how they live and how they are. Yes, a person can dictate how they choose to be, but it is impossible to believe that the standards and laws of society haven’t gotten in the way of an individual’s will. We are attached to these standards and laws the minute we are born, and they follow us indefinitely. Being attached to them from the minute we are born makes it hard to detach and set ourselves apart from them. How are individuals supposed to set themselves aside from these beliefs and develop a will of their own? Individuals have no chance of ever being themselves and being completely free without laws, governments, leaders, and society following and influencing them. Because of certain standards and laws in our society, an individual’s will can’t have the freedom to be. We have laws that are set and that follow us from the minute we are born. How can we possibly be if we have laws that make it impossible for people to be a certain way? We have leaders and governments who abuse their power and take advantage of their people. They justify their sovereign over people’s right to be through unjust laws that bring consequences to 5 people for defining them and believing differently. For an individual to have the absolute freedom of being, we must stop abiding by unjust laws and stop giving power to barbaric individuals and government. Through this, an individual can develop the freedom to be and think of how they wish to do so. Works Cited “The Internet Classics Archive: Crito by Plato.” The Internet Classics Archive | Crito by Plato, classics.mit.edu/Plato/crito.html. Silva, Cristina. “North Korea's Kim Jong Un Is Starving His People to Pay for Nuclear Weapons.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2017, www.newsweek.com/north-koreas-kim-jong-un-starving-his-people-paynuclear-weapons-573015. “Socrates Was Guilty as Charged.” University of Cambridge, University of Cambridge, 8 June 2009, www.cam.ac.uk/news/socrates-was-guilty-as-charged.
